Keeping good digestive health is essential to our overall wellbeing and feeling healthy. Recently there has been developed a great concern among people about proper diet and health. Foods we eat have a vital role in ameliorating and creating bowel diseases. Health care experts consider many of the health problems are related to gut, majorly due to the issues associated with improper digestion. Our gastrointestinal tract contains more than 400 different beneficial bacteria species, commonly referred as the intestinal microflora, which support in assimilation, synthesis of vitamin, nutrients and also helpful for proper functioning of the gut. It has an important role in the host immune system and helps the host by maintaining the physiological, nutritional and immunological system. Human gastrointestinal system is a balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria and it is necessary to maintain a bacterial balance. Modern lifestyle and increased use of drugs will have an adverse effect on the natural flora of gut. This could be overcome by the consumption of beneficial live bacteria known as probiotics.
Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administrated in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Many commercial products based on probiotics are available in the market in a variety of matrices like frozen desserts, yoghurt and beverages. Yoghurt is the most common probiotic carrying food, and it is extended to other products like fermented milk, juices, nutrition bars, etc. It has also been marketed in the form of dietary supplements, medical foods and drugs. In ancient Indian society, it was commonplace to enjoy a form of yoghurt drink called ‘Lassi’ before dinner. These Indian traditions were based on the principle of using sour milk as a probiotic delivery system.
Finger millet is an important variety of millets grown widely in India and Africa. It is considered as a Nutri-cereal because of its good nutritional values, easy availability, low cost. Finger millet carbohydrates contain 1-2% free sugars, 75-80% starch and non-starchy polysaccharides. It has a good shelf life due to its high polyphenol content (David et al., 2014, 2, 171). It is easy to digest and does not contain gluten; people who are sensitive to gluten can easily consume finger millet.
Many of the products available in the market containing probiotic bacteria as free probiotic cells have poor viability. Viability of probiotic bacteria is affected by many parameters including low pH, hydrogen peroxide, dissolved oxygen content, storage temperature, strains etc. (Mortazavian et al., 2012, In tech. In book—new advances in the basic and clinical gastroenterology). Several attempts were made in the past to increase the viability of probiotic bacteria, which include selection of acid and bile resistant strains, two step fermentation, stress adaptation, incorporation of micronutrients and microencapsulation (Govender et al., 2014). Though techniques such as liposome coating, coacervation, co-crystallization, molecular inclusion have been well studied, the high cost and the lack of credibility as 100% natural and food-grade formulation, especially from food components such as cereals are limitations. Another probiotic encapsulation technique using calcium alginate was also common in the prior art due to its merits such as non-toxicity, biocompatibility and low cost. But this technology had some limitations due to high sensitivity of alginate beads especially in the acidic conditions.
US 2013/0136826 A1 discloses a healthy liquid probiotic with a heat treatment in one stage of its preparation. Though there are techniques to maintain sufficient amount of probiotic microorganisms with the ability to resist heat and humidity, it was achieved by the use of chemicals and other additives. This technology was also not focusing on enhancing the shelf life stability of probiotic strains.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,525 B1 discloses a novel probiotic food supplement contains a mixture of five beneficial microflora with added macromolecules. But there is no evidence for the microbiota and the technology was not focusing on enhancing the stability of the composition.
US 2012/0263826 A1 discloses a procedure for encapsulation of probiotics. This technology limits its scope due to the use of synthetic polymers for the encapsulation.
US 2008/0193485 A1 discloses a food product containing probiotic and β glucan isolated from a natural source. However this record is not focusing on any enhancement of storage stability.
Hence there exists a need for safe, healthy and functional food components, especially from those derived from cereals, fruits, vegetables etc., which can be used both as a medium for the growth of probiotics to the desired concentrations and as a material for the stable formulation as micro encapsulates or the like. A suitable process, especially the one without using any organic solvents or synthetic excipients for the preparation of such materials for probiotics growth and encapsulation is also of great significance. Availability of such material, its universal acceptance as a food item, its taste and other organoleptic properties for food/beverage purpose and finally the cost play important role in such inventions. Thus in the present invention, widely known, highly nutritious, diabetic friendly, inexpensive cereals like finger millet is selected as the raw material of choice, from which a unique composition of water extract that can be further used for both growth and stable encapsulation of probiotic strains as water soluble powder suitable for food, dietary supplements, nutritional supplements, pharmaceutical applications etc. There is also a need exists to develop a stable probiotic formulation suitable for ambient conditions of storage and useful as a food supplement, dietary supplements or nutritional supplements to provide beneficial probiotic bacteria and to assist proper functioning of intestinal tract